Clasp-fastener.



.F. J. ANDERSON.

CLASP FASTENER.

APPLICATION HL'En MAR. 23. 1916.

1,221,01 l. Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Nr orion.

FRANK J. ANDERSON, OE Box ELDER, MONTANA.

CLASP-FASTENER.

Application filed March 23, 1916.

To all whom z'z may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Box Elder, in the county of Hill, State of Montana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasp-Fasteners; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to claspfasteners, and particular-ly todetachable fasteners, aiming primarily to provide a fastener of suchconstruction as will enable the same to be quickly and easily attachedto and detached from a trousers band, and lio which a member, such as asuspender tab or loop may be readily secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fastener of the abovementioned type with which is associated a clamping lever for securingthe tab end to the fastener, which lever is so arranged and constructedas to enable the pressure delivered to the fastener through the tab tobe utilized to hold the lever secure in clamping position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a fastener of theclass described which is of simple and inexpensive construction, whichis composed of but few readily assembled parts, all so arranged as topreclude the possibility of dismemberment or breakage of the same, andwhich will prove thoroughly efficient in the attainment of the ends forwhich it is designed.

iVith these objects in view, together with others which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel combinationand arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fullyhereinafter, illustrated in the drawings and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a fastener embodying my invention,the same being illustrated in use,

Fig. 2, is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through thefastener and illustratin g the same in closed or locked position,

Fig. 3, is a. view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating the device in openposition, and

Fig. 4, is a front elevation of the fastener as shown in Fig. 2,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917. serial No. 86,140.

Referring now more -particularly to the drawings, 5 indicates a plate,`the said plate being formed preferably of thin metal, enlarged at oneend and being reduced at its opposite end and bent throughout the extentof the reduced portion to provide a hook 6. This hook portion is bent tosuch extent as to terminate at its extremity relatively close to thebody portion of the plate 5. The lateral parallel edges of the hookportion 6 are out away inwardly from the end of said hook, laterallyalined shoulders 7 being formed at the juncture of the reduced end withthe body portion proper of the hook. Laterally extendingpintles 8project from the opposite edges of the reduced portion of the tongue inclose proximity to the shoulders y .A lever 9 is arranged to swing uponthe pintles 8 on the hook portion, the said lever having flanges 10depending from its lateral edges adjacent one end, and the extremitiesof said flanges vare apertured for engagement with the opposinglaterally projecting pintles 8 on the reduced portion of the hook. rThewidth of the lever including its depending flanges is equal to that ofthe full lateral extent of the hook portion 6 of the plate. The flanges10 are' in length equal substantially to one half the length of thelever. The free end of the lever is bent upon itself as at 11 to providea housing within which one end of a flat leaf spring 12 is secured. Thisleaf spring extends longitudinally of thelever upon the under face ofthe latter, and projects at its free end slightly beyond the pivoted endof the said lever, the said spring` being held against movementlaterally of the lever by the opposing flanges 10 upon the latter. Theextremity of the spring is bent or curved outwardly as at 13.

To facilitate securing the above described clasp to a trousers band orother garment a securing element in the form of a plate 14 is fixed bymeans of a rivet or other retaining element 15 at onel end to the plate5 at the hooked portion thereof. This securing plate 14 is of the samesize and configuration as the plate 5 and lies against the rear surfaceof the latter. The retaining plate 14 is provided with a tongue 16, thesaid tongue being preferably stamped from the central portion of thesaid plate 14, and is adapted to be bent forwardly to extend through anopening 17 formed in the plate 5, the said tongue or prong beingsharpened at its extremity to enable the same to readily penetrate thecloth of the garment, By securing the retaining plate to the hookedportion 6 in the manner shown, the said plates are normally held inspaced relation to each other throughout the extent of their enlargedportions, whereby the same may be readily engaged over a trousers band.In applying the device to the trousers band, the prong or tongue 16 isbent inwardly at right angles to the retaining plate 14, and inalinement with the opening 17. The device is then inserted over atrousers band Vwith the retaining plate 14 upon the inner face thereof,and the plate 5 engaging with the outer face. Forcing of the two platestogether will then cause the tongue 16 to penetrate the garment clothand to project through the opening 17 in the plate 5, whereupon the freeend ofthe prong may be bent downwardly as shown to lock the plates inclamping engagement withY the garment. It will also, be observed thatthe protruding portion of the tongue is so positioned upon the plate 5as to be engaged by the free end ofthe lever 9 when the latter is closedto space the same from the plate and v to facilitate the insertion ofthe inger nail beneath the end of the lever when it is desired to swingthe latter to open position.

When the device is thus applied tothe garment band, the suspender tabmay be inserted over the lever and upon the hooked portion 6 of thedevice. The lever 9 is then swung to closed position, and it will beobserved that the spring 12 will at all times be in engagement with theend of the hooked portion 6. Upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, itwill be seen that when in closed position, the curved portion 13 of thespring will lie in engagement with the under face of the hooked portion6. The suspender tab is thus confined between the spring 12 and the bodyportion of the plate 5, and upward pull upon the tab will, through thecurved portion 13 of the spring,

kbe borne by the hooked portion 6, and the spring 12. This pressure isthus utilized to increase the clamping pressure of the lever 9. Uponoutward swinging movement of the lever 9, the hooked or curved end 13 ofthe spring 12 will carry the tab downwardly and outvof the hookedportion, retaining its hold upon the said tab throughout the entireoutward swinging movement of the lever 9. It will thus be seen that thetab may be quickly and conveniently removed from the fastener. Thecurved end 13 of the spring when the lever is swung to open position,engages with the outer face of the hook 6 at `its extremity, thusyieldably holding the lever in open position. Inward swinging of thelever causes the spring 12 to be engaged inwardly from its extremity bythe extreme end of the hook v6, whereupon the spring is caused to retainthe lever in closed position.

While I have herein shown and described a particular or preferredembodiment of the invention, I wish it to be understood that I need notnecessarily confine myself to all the precise details of constructionherein set forth by way of illustration as modification and variationmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention orexceeding the scope of the claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A clasp fastener comprising in conibination, a base plate, a hookformed upon said base plate and ovcrhanging the latter, a closing leverpivoted to the free end of said hook and adapted to swing over saidplate, a leaf spring carried by the outer end of said closing lever andhaving its free end extending toward the base plate and the hook, thebody of said leaf spring acting upon the end of said-hook to tension theclosing lever in its motion from open to closed position, and tending toyieldingly hold the closing lever in either its open or closed position.

2. A clasp fastener comprising in combination, a base plate, a hookformed upon said base plate and overhanging the latter, a closing leverpivoted to the free end of said hook and adapted to swing over saidplate, a leaf spring extending from the free end of said closing levertoward said base plate, said spring bearing against the free end of saidhook and riding therearound in tensioned relation while the lever isbeing carried from open to closed position and acting to yieldingly holdthe lever in either its open or closed position.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. ANDERSON.

Witnesses Z FRANK Il. Mason, EDNA E. SPRAGUE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C,

